![A village turns its geological historical past right into a tourism alternative [Commentary]](https://foreignshoresnrinews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Stalagmites-inside-the-Mawmluh-caves.-Photo-by-Mawmluh-cave-guides-768x512.jpg)
- Mawmluh, a village within the Decrease Cherrapunji space, is house to a bit of Earth’s historical past, the Mawmluh Cave, a global heritage web site.
- The Cave is understood for its stalagmites that supply insights concerning the Earth’s previous climates.
- The residents of Mawmluh created a tourism mannequin surrounding not simply the Cave, but in addition the biodiversity within the area, whereas creating livelihood alternatives for the youth.
- The views within the commentary are that of the creator.
Cherrapunji, also referred to as Sohra, is situated within the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. A area with information of the very best rainfall, it’s among the many wettest areas of the world. Located within the Decrease Cherrapunji space, underneath the Sohra Civil Sub-division, is Mawmluh, a village with a inhabitants of round 1,500. It’s the final village on the Sohra plateau earlier than the hills start their descent. Mawmluh has adopted a sustainable and area of interest tourism mannequin that additionally advantages the residents.
Tourism potential
The hills, mountains, forests, waterfalls round Mawmluh make it a really picturesque vacation spot for vacationers. However that’s not all. The village is the proud protector of a bit of Earth’s historical past — Mawmluh Cave. Located at an elevation of 1,200 metres, the Cave, one of many longest and deepest caves in India, holds proof of the occasions within the geological historical past of Earth. The geological time scale divides the Earth’s historical past into items of time based mostly on geological and organic occasions. The smallest division or unit of this timetable is the geological age. We now stay within the “Meghalayan age”.
The adjustments that happen on Earth get recorded within the chemistry of rocks, ice cores, and deposits under the ocean flooring. The strongest clue for the dramatic adjustments in local weather that occurred 4,200 years in the past within the Holocene epoch have been found contained in the Mawmluh Cave. The key climatic adjustments that happened initially of this youngest geological time interval has been discovered by analyzing the oxygen atoms preserved within the cave formation, particularly from the chemical composition within the stalagmites.
Subsequently, in 2018, The Worldwide Fee on Stratigraphy (ICS), the apex physique liable for defining the geologic time scale, declared the final 4,200 years because the Meghalayan age. In the identical yr, in recognition of the importance of the Cave, the stalagmites have been tagged as a World Boundary Stratotype Part and Factors (GSSP), the primary formally ratified marker of a geological time interval change in India.
In 2022, Mawmluh Cave was declared as a heritage web site by the Worldwide Union of Geological Sciences, which works carefully with UNESCO.
The beautiful biodiversity within the forests and hills that encompass the village, together with the lengthy and distinctive caves, with their very own distinctive variety are a part of the brand new tourism mannequin the village has created.
The method
Most residents of Mawmluh was once employed by the government-run Mawmluh Chera Cement Ltd. Nevertheless in 2014, because the information of its doubtless closure started to flow into, it raised considerations among the many residents. The nervous village committee started deliberations for options. The thought of beginning tourism as an financial exercise took form and the Mawmluh Village Tourism committee was born. It started with establishing homestays and retailers. However the committee as a discussion board didn’t have the bandwidth to draw recognition or funds. It was dismantled in 2017, and as an alternative was established the Mawmluh Tourism and Allied Actions Cooperative Society (MTAACS). This society of 30 members has since turn out to be the guardian, promoter and overseer of all tourism infrastructures and actions within the village.
In 2018, the Society affiliated with The Mawmluh Rural Tourism Cooperative Federation, Meghalaya’s Apex physique shaped to advertise tourism in rural areas.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the cement manufacturing unit finally shut down. The youthful technology began migrating out from the village in quest of jobs. The village elders who had seen a number of extremely educated residents migrating to cities years in the past, didn’t need a repeat of that scenario. They wished to retain the youth within the village with a well-organised tourism venture that may give them job alternatives.
The initiatives
In 2019, the primary tourism venture known as ‘The Highland Camp’ was established with simply three tents and a small restaurant, with funds offered by the Tourism Cooperative Federation. Away from the village, and amongst the sylvan environment of hills, streams and forests, it was designed to cater to adventurers and nature lovers.
When Mamluh Cave turned well-known with the declaration of “Meghalayan Age” the village too got here underneath limelight. An company known as Meghalayan Age Restricted offered monetary help to potential tourism initiatives throughout the state of Meghalaya. They provided funds to MTAACS too.
Then, the Hundred Waterfall Camp with 4 luxurious tents and catering facility was established, this time nearer to the village. Nevertheless, as a result of Covid-19 pandemic, each the initiatives have been stalled and might be inaugurated solely in 2022.
In 2023, impressed by the tourism mannequin put in place, the Directorate of Soil and Water Conservation Organisation, East Khasi Hills, offered the cash to begin Monolith, an upmarket restaurant that now caters to vacationers, guests in addition to most people. In a state the place mass tourism was rampant and the harmful impact of it on the setting was very seen, the Mawmluh village cooperative members have been very clear that it was not the trail they might take.
“We don’t need our village to show right into a dustbin,” mentioned Bansan Kupar Lyngdoh, the MTAAC’s secretary. “We have now to concentrate on the carrying capability of this place. “We wish vacationers to grasp the distinctiveness of this place and be accountable in direction of the environment,” mentioned Lyngdoh.
Caving, the accountable manner
In 2022, the village took again the administration of the caves from the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Affiliation and put in place processes that may deliver minimal disturbances to the cave ecology. Choice procedures have been formalised to shortlist village residents who then underwent coaching to turn out to be skilled cave guides. They have been additionally educated for rescue missions, first help and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The variety of vacationers taken for caving turned restricted to a most of 25 per day, with one information per two vacationers to make sure security and an unforgettable expertise.
“It’s a dwelling cave and we the villagers of Mawmluh are its guardians,” remarked Lyngdoh who then went on to element the efforts taken by the committee to arrange a accountable and area of interest tourism, an environmentally-sustainable mannequin.
The tourism mannequin that they had selected was not straightforward to place in place, nevertheless it didn’t deter them. Taking small steps at a time and with the assistance of pros they started to grasp the necessities wanted. They affiliated themselves with Martin Luther Christian College, Shillong. Beneath the MOU signed, academicians and researchers from the College visited the village as soon as in two or three months. They performed consciousness, sensitisation and coaching programmes; helped the village residents comprehend the benefits of sustainable tourism, and created an understanding of the Meghalayan age and its connection to the caves. Within the years for the reason that begin, they’ve helped the society to survey the realm, make maps, doc historical past in addition to present age applicable coaching programmes.
“We aren’t tourism as a standalone exercise, however one that’s linked to and so will increase consciousness of beautiful biodiversity of the place; assist preserve it and even perhaps deliver again some that will have left our place,” added one of many committee members. From 2022 onwards, researchers from the College visited to review the place to offer information wanted for the administration of the setting, making maps of the place, interviewing villagers, documenting historical past, tradition and practices adopted within the village.
Learn extra: A prehistoric whale fossil stolen from a cave turns consideration to fossil commerce
Conservation and livelihood programmes
In 2023, the society met with Sanjay Sondhi of Titli Belief in Dehradun. With a number of years of expertise in organising conservation initiatives, Sondhi launched them to the idea of conservation linked to livelihoods. The distinctive and memorable biodiversity of the place was but to be correctly assessed to be included into the tourism venture. The thought of area of interest tourism to draw nature lovers was already on the agenda of the society.
Beneath Sondhi’s steering the tourism mannequin took a proper form within the type of eco-guides. Younger individuals from the village started coaching with him and the useful resource individuals who accompanied him to the village. With funding from Royal Enfield, binoculars, cameras, discipline guides might be offered. Sondhi anchored the entire programme, and together with specialists from totally different fields of biodiversity, he would go to the village three to 4 occasions in a yr.
To make sure continuity and studying because the guides started to doc the biodiversity, Goldenstar, a Khasi youth, with information of native biodiversity was appointed by Sondhi as a resident useful resource particular person. He meets the individuals of Mawmluh for 3 days each month to information, apply and supply course. The complete staff of useful resource individuals, society members and the guides stay involved for steady help by way of a Whatsapp group arrange by the Society.
The outcome? The good variety of the place started to emerge. Amongst the 100 species of birds recorded right here, the tawny-breasted wren babbler is endemic to this place, Hodgson’s frogmouth breeds right here. Nonsuch palmer, a uncommon butterfly, endemic Garo hills caecilian, Cantor’s trinket snake Elaphe cantoris (the one second sighting of this snake), numerous bugs widespread and uncommon, unbelievable species of moths, frogs, invertebrates and extra such variety started to be recognized and recorded because the guides educated and learnt. One of many younger ladies from the village, eco-guide Banyllashisha Wankhar went on to make a movie for Inexperienced Hub on the evolution of accountable and area of interest tourism within the village. For MTAACS this added selection to their area of interest tourism which till then was solely about caving.
Eco golf equipment in faculties
The society didn’t cease with tourism. They’ve additionally seemed to the long run. A holistic growth of their village, the land and its denizens is feasible provided that the generations that come after them perform with the identical perception. With the assistance of Sondhi and his staff, the society began eco golf equipment in faculties. The programme is designed with minimal disturbance to their common educational syllabus. The youngsters and academics meet twice a month in one of many camps run by the society and are launched to the richness of their heritage, the land and its beings. The society is especially delicate to the significance of academics for the success of this initiative, and so discover methods and means to encourage and admire their efforts.
Lyngdoh concluded his dialog with me saying, “Tourism alone is just not our solely aim. We wish to enrich and convey again the lifestyle we could have misplaced. We really feel it’s excessive time we gave again to the land and to the villagers what our earlier technology did not do. I see the change within the kids, from the best way they join with the programme and really feel we’re on the appropriate path.”
From my very own expertise touring the cave, interacting with the younger eco-guides so thirsty for information, with college students and academics from the native college so glad to be within the wild, I consider that accountable and area of interest tourism is just not solely a workable mannequin, however can also be the best way for the long run.
The creator is a biology and setting training practitioner.
Quotation:
- Walker, M., Head, M.J., Berkelhammer, M., Björck, S., Cheng, H., Cwynar, L., Fisher, D., Gkinis, V., Lengthy, A., Lowe, j., Newnham, R., Rasmussen, S.O., Weiss, H., 2018. Formal ratification of the subdivision of the Holocene Sequence/ Epoch (Quaternary System/Interval): two new World Boundary Stratotype Sections and Factors (GSSPs) and three new phases/ subseries. Episodes 41/4, 1-11.
- https://iugs-geoheritage.org/geoheritage_sites/gssp-of-the-meghalayan-stage-in-the-mawmluh-cave/
- https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2024-12.jp
- Biodiversity booklet and posters of Birds and Butterflies made for coaching eco-guides and for tourism promotion
Banner picture: Mawmluh cave. Picture by Wann Majaw by way of Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0).
